As Britain votes today on whether to leave the EU or remain a member, “it is no coincidence that food and drink is at the heart of so much of the debate,” says the Guardian. On one hand, food and drink is the largest manufacturing sector in the nation and on the other, the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) “swallows up nearly 40 percent of the total EU budget.”
CAP reshaped British agriculture and its landscape over the four decades of EU membership, says the Guardian. “The free movement of goods, people and capital – enshrined in EU treaties – and EU common policies adopted on trade, fisheries and regional development, as well as agriculture, have been the framework through which the UK has globalized.” The EU buys half of Britain’s food exports and supplies a quarter of its food.
George Eustice, the agriculture minister, campaigned for a “leave” vote. He says Britain can take better care of itself than it sees under CAP. A fellow Conservative, Elizabeth Truss, the secretary of state, says a “Brexit” would be a leap in the dark that could jeopardize farmers’ livelihoods, says the Guardian. The Food and Drink Federation, a trade group, says 71 percent of its members say they prefer the consolidated market, access to raw materials and the free movement of labor that is provided by the EU.
The left wing of British politics is divided, just as the right is, said the newspaper. Neoliberals say EU policies favor industrial agriculture and large landowners. Others, such as some Labor Party leaders say the EU takes a more progressive view than British politicians would on agriculture. “Everybody thinks CAP needs reform but some of the things blamed on CAP are the consequences of the market,” said Kerry McCarthy, the Labor leader on environment and food.